Part III — Meditation and the Master's presence

Question: Why do you ask your disciples to meditate on your picture?

Sri Chinmoy: I do not require it. My disciples can meditate on the sky or the sea. Our path is the path of love. I tell my disciples to meditate on anything that they love, as long as it is something vast. So since they love my vast consciousness, I tell them to meditate on me. The spiritual life is nothing but the expansion of love. I do not say that the disciples have to look at me. I only want people to realise God, whether they meditate on my picture or on something else. But I see clearly that my disciples see and feel something in me. Naturally if they see something in me and feel something in me, then it is best for them to meditate on me. The power of their meditation is entering into the Supreme in me. I am not deceiving them.

The real object of love, who is God, is inside my heart and inside your heart equally. The only thing is that you do not have enough faith in yourselves. Otherwise I would have told each person to meditate on himself. But if I tell my disciples to meditate on themselves, only their egos will be fed. Their egos will come forward; they will say, "I am Brahma, I am God." Then, when their mind comes forward with a little doubt, they will simply be engulfed in a sea of doubt and frustration.

That is why I do not advise my disciples to meditate on themselves. I tell them, "Be humble. Concentrate on a flower or a flame and inspire yourself." In India I have seen many people who say, "I am Shiva, I am Brahma, I am Krishna." And eventually they just became insane.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The inner journey, Agni Press, 1977
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/ij